The research project that this dissertation will study involves the factors that influence an implementation of an enterprise-wide information system in a large organization. More specifically, it will examine what the critical success factors (CSF) are for implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. This chapter introduces the research project that has been undertaken, giving an outline of why such research has been done, placing the research in context and demonstrating its importance. The research questions are then outlined and finally an overview of the chapters within this dissertation is presented.

As discussed above, this research project involves the ERP phenomena and specifically ?what factors can be seen as critical when implementing an ERP system'. Issues regarding the software vendor providing the ERP system are outside the scope of this research project, as is the actual measurement of the critical success factors or the dependency relationship between the factors that will be identified. A theoretical framework (TF) has been developed in order to aid the research process. The framework lists broad factors derived from current literature and they have been examined in this project with regard to an ERP implementation. The factors that will be addressed within the theoretical framework will be further discussed.

Many researchers and industry experts rate the theme ?ERP implementation failure' to be one of the major topics regarding ERP systems and the implementation of such systems. ERP system research is regarded as a well-justified research area, as it is found to have conceptual links with more or less every major area of information system (IS) research. ERP systems can be seen as a representation of the entire software industry, therefore it is seen that the proposed research into an ERP system implementation in a large organization, is very appealing.

Investigation into large software packages (which an ERP system is) has been called for in the IS literature, pointing out that since ERP systems are so frequently used there ought to be a greater push for research into issues relating to the use and implementation of such systems. Success factors in information systems implementation projects have been hard to define, even though a number of studies in this field have been presented. Information technology sector is selected in order to investigate the critical success factors for implementing an ERP system. Such a research site is interesting as it presents opportunity to meet with the different users of the system, the project implementation team that is going to implement the system, management, consultants and to some extent the ERP vendor.

[...] The team members needed to know how the system had to perform and they were chosen to participate in the project because of their extensive business knowledge of the process they were attempting to automate CSF for Organizational Context The table below (Table focuses on factors perceived as critical for implementing an ERP in an IT environment. Again, factors are linked to the CSF identified in Appendix ERP Critical Success Factors ERP System Quality The ERP system quality factor derived from the theoretical framework in Chapter Three - Theoretical Framework, concerns issues such as functionality and technical issues with the system, that are according to DeLone and McLean (1992) seen as ?desired characteristics' of the system quality. [...]

[...] This ERP research taxonomy failed to find any research topic that focused on CSF's for an ERP system in an IT environment Implementation Strategies There are two distinctive ways of implementing an ERP found in the literature. These phases are termed the ?phased' implementation and the Bang' approaches (O'Leary 2000a). Depending on the organizational structure, the complexity of the organization, economical issues, strategic partners, time constraints and geographical locations (Markus et al. 2000b), the appropriate implementation approach should be selected. [...]

[...] ERP projects have been found to be complex undertaking based on previous research identified earlier in this dissertation, this project can help to establish some key areas that need attention for future IT projects that will be undertaken in the future Theoretical Outcomes Research, compromising of a thorough literature review, into critical success factors for implementing an ERP system have been conducted prior to this research project, however no research has to date focused on CSF's in an IT environment within the IT Sector in India. [...]